Latest news with #IllawarraHawks
NZ Herald
a day ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Basketball: Jackson Ball a double Hawk and a Wisconsin Badger
Hawke's Bay Hawks guard Jackson Ball in action in the Junior Tall Blacks' playoff for third place at the Under-19 Fiba World Cup in Switzerland in early July. He's now signed for an Australian NBL season with the champions, the Illawarra Hawks, and next year is off to the University of Wisconsin. Teenage Hawke's Bay Hawks basketball star Jackson Ball is expected to still play for the franchise next year, despite signing with Australia champions the Illawarra Hawks and high-flying US college side the Wisconsin Badgers. The 17-year-old Napier Boys' High School joint deputy head boy, who first appeared for the Hawke's
The Australian
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Australian
One-punch victim Harry Froling signs two-year NBL deal with Illawarra
Harry Froling is officially back in the NBL – just two years after being told he'd never play basketball again following a horrific one-punch attack. As revealed by Code Sports last month, Froling has joined reigning champions the Illawarra Hawks on a two-year deal. The former NBL Rookie of the Year will initially be an injury-replacement for his younger brother Sam, who has been ruled out with a season-ending Achilles. Froling's Illawarra signing caps off an incredible comeback following his life-threatening one-punch attack in Wollongong in 2023. 'MEANT TO DIE': FROLING'S INSPIRATIONAL COMEBACK The big man was left with a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain, prompting doctors to declare his career was over. Former Bullets NBL Player Harry Froling, Zillmere. Picture: Liam Kidston Froling dropped into a state of depression, piling on weight as he sat on the couch at home feeling sorry for himself. He showcased impressive resilience to fight back from the head injury and return to basketball this year via a stint with the Taranaki Airs in the NZNBL. Froling averaged 19.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and shot 30 per cent from deep on nearly six attempts per game in 10 matches before parting ways with the Airs last month. In mid-May, he penned a deal to play NBL1 with the Melbourne Tigers and has excelled in his five games thus far. He is averaging 23.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. Froling's return to the NBL is incredible given the doubts he had after life-saving brain surgery. Harry Froling (L, playing for the Brisbane Bullets) and brother Sam Froling of the Hawks go head to head in 2022. Picture: Getty The big man detailed the depths he dropped to in an exclusive interview with this masthead last December. His weight ballooned to 158kg, he had no income, a six-month wait to process the disability pension and his self-esteem was at rock bottom. 'It's definitely the darkest place I've ever been in,' Froling recalled. 'I wouldn't say I was suicidal, but I definitely had thoughts where I thought it would be easier not to go through this and to not be here. 'I did have times when I thought, 'f*** this, I don't want to be here, this is s**t and I'd rather not be around'. 'I was depressed and I got to the point where I was damaging my relationships with people. I was having issues with mum and dad, relatives and friends. I was just a bad person to be around. 'I was the victim, but I also had that victim's mentality. It just got to the point where I had to start to look in the mirror.' Matt Logue Sports reporter Matt Logue is an award-winning sports journalist and author who brings more than 20 years' experience to NCA NewsWire and CODE Sports. Starting out in regional newspapers in Dubbo and Bathurst, he moved to Sydney in 2006 and spent eight years at Rugby League Week magazine. He has also worked at the Newcastle Knights as a senior reporter under seven-time premiership-winning coach Wayne Bennett, Big League magazine and the Daily and Sunday Telegraphs. Matt is passionate about all sports, but has particular loves for rugby league and basketball. @mattlogue7 Matt Logue
ABC News
15-07-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Harry Froling signs with NBL team Illawarra Hawks after near-fatal one-punch attack
Harry Froling says he lived life in the fast lane "the first time around". It is a telling choice of words. For the 27-year-old, life is now divided between before and after the night of January 22, 2023, when he suffered a one-punch attack outside a Wollongong nightclub that left him with a major brain injury and little chance to return to professional basketball. But after more than two years of intense rehabilitation, he has been signed by the Illawarra Hawks as an injury replacement player for his brother Sam. Froling says he returns to the court a changed man. "I was always inconsistent and that was also with my off-court stuff — my training habits, what I was eating and how I was looking after myself," he told ABC Illawarra Breakfast. "I'd have a bunch of 20-point games but then I'd have a bunch of five-point games. After the attack, doctors told Froling he had a slim chance of returning to work of any kind, let alone professional basketball. Over the last two years he has not only had to physically rehabilitate himself, but also dig himself out of a deep depression. Part of Froling's recovery has involved changing his attitude towards life. "I'm a basketball player, but it's not who I am," he said. "I used to heavily rely on basketball as my identity, whereas I think now it's more like I don't take basketball for granted. Froling, who is 210 centimetres tall, will play a crucial role in bolstering the Hawks' front court this season. His brother Sam has an Achilles injury and Lachlan Olbrich has gone to the NBA. Froling's return to the court has been measured, quiet and humble. He first trained with the Hawks towards the end of last season to try to lose weight and regain confidence. He then played in the New Zealand NBL and the Australian NBL1 competitions, which saw his vast skill set on display again. "Teams just wanted to see me string together a few months of it and I think I was pretty consistent and was putting up good numbers and getting good feedback from people," Froling said. "It's easy to say you're going to do something, but this is how I act and how I behave now. "I'm not going to tell everyone what I'm going do and what I plan on doing. "I'm just going to go and do it and whatever comes with it comes with it." Froling says playing for the Hawks allows him to not only compete and train alongside his brother Sam, but also offers an opportunity to give back to the team that welcomed him last season. He said several of Hawks staff and players had contacted him during his rehabilitation to offer support. "Obviously what happened with Sam's injury sucks, but now I can step in and help the club that's done so much for me," Froling said. "It was a cool feeling when I got told [they wanted me] and I pretty much signed as soon as they told me it was all official and the contract was through.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'So special': NBL star back after one-punch attack
Harry Froling will make an inspirational NBL comeback with Illawarra less than three years after a one-punch attack left him fighting for life in hospital. The former NBL rookie of the year has signed with the defending champions for the new season which begins in September. Froling returned to the basketball court in the second-tier NBL1 and the NZNBL this year but an NBL return is a much more significant leap. The 27-year-old centre will serve as an injury replacement for his brother Sam, who suffered an achilles injury during game four of the championship series in March. "It means a lot to be back with the Hawks," said Harry Froling, who played for Illawarra in the 2021/22 season. "I'm a different player to what I was in 2022 and I look forward to giving back to the club who has done so much for me over the past few years." 👋 Ello Harry!The Hawks are excited to announce the signing of Harry Froling! 🦅 READ MORE: #WeRiseTogether — Illawarra Hawks Basketball (@illawarrahawks) July 9, 2025 Froling's last NBL game was for the Brisbane Bullets on January 21, 2023 against the Hawks. On a night out after the game, he was knocked to the ground unconscious on the streets of Wollongong in a one-punch attack that required brain surgery. His attacker was jailed and is eligible for parole in December. On his long road to recovery, Froling joined the Hawks for some informal training sessions ahead of their historic championship series win over Melbourne United. "Super happy to get Harry back at the 'Gong," brother Sam said. "It's been such a hard road for him and to see him rewarded with an opportunity to get back in the NBL is so special, and to have it be the team that has given me my opportunity speaks to the quality of this club and their investment in people." Illawarra's game-five triumph over United sealed only the second title in the history of the league's last remaining foundation club, and first since 2001. The Hawks have retained the majority of their roster but have farewelled NBA draftee Lachlan Olbrich and imports Trey Kell and Darius Days. Elsewhere, South East Melbourne have signed Belgian forward Vrenz Bleijenbergh as their first import for the upcoming campaign. Bleijenbergh most recently played for Turkish side Yukatel Merkezefendi and has played for the Chicago Bulls' G-League affiliate Windy City. He replaces would-be American import Omari Moore, who has been released by a mutual agreement so he could sign with EuroLeague side Valencia.
News.com.au
02-07-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
One-punch victim Harry Froling signs two-year NBL deal with Illawarra to seal epic comeback
Harry Froling is officially back in the NBL – just two years after being told he'd never play basketball again following a horrific one-punch attack. As revealed by Code Sports last month, Froling has joined reigning champions the Illawarra Hawks on a two-year deal. The former NBL Rookie of the Year will initially be an injury-replacement for his younger brother Sam, who has been ruled out with a season-ending Achilles. Froling's Illawarra signing caps off an incredible comeback following his life-threatening one-punch attack in Wollongong in 2023. The big man was left with a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain, prompting doctors to declare his career was over. Froling dropped into a state of depression, piling on weight as he sat on the couch at home feeling sorry for himself. He showcased impressive resilience to fight back from the head injury and return to basketball this year via a stint with the Taranaki Airs in the NZNBL. Froling averaged 19.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and shot 30 per cent from deep on nearly six attempts per game in 10 matches before parting ways with the Airs last month. In mid-May, he penned a deal to play NBL1 with the Melbourne Tigers and has excelled in his five games thus far. He is averaging 23.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. Froling's return to the NBL is incredible given the doubts he had after life-saving brain surgery. The big man detailed the depths he dropped to in an exclusive interview with this masthead last December. His weight ballooned to 158kg, he had no income, a six-month wait to process the disability pension and his self-esteem was at rock bottom. 'It's definitely the darkest place I've ever been in,' Froling recalled. 'I wouldn't say I was suicidal, but I definitely had thoughts where I thought it would be easier not to go through this and to not be here. 'I did have times when I thought, 'f*** this, I don't want to be here, this is s**t and I'd rather not be around'. 'I was depressed and I got to the point where I was damaging my relationships with people. I was having issues with mum and dad, relatives and friends. I was just a bad person to be around. 'I was the victim, but I also had that victim's mentality. It just got to the point where I had to start to look in the mirror.'
